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V4 2001 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 4, Number 33, August 12, 2001, Article 10 NUMISMATIC INDEXES Allan Davisson writes: "Numismatic indexes are extremely important. The indexes for articles in the BNJ series (British Numismatic Journal) and to articles in the Spink Circular and the Seaby Bulletin as well as the indexes published for the SCBI (Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles) volumes make information readily available that would otherwise be barely, if at all, accessible. I remember clearly how hard it was to find things in the BNJ, for example, before the two index efforts were published (one official, one unofficial). The British really seem to be good about this. Harry Manville's three publications in his series, Encyclopedia of British Numismatics, adds to this tradition. I assumed, when we agreed to publish Bill Daehn's exceptional annotated bibliography of English language references on Greek coins that there would be comparable interest. I was forewarned by some serious numismatic book publishers that this assumption might not be sound. Those who have bought the book have been enthusiastic. But we have sold just over 100 copies despite advertising (including a full page in The Asylum) and trying hard to promote Bill's book. Is there something that differentiates those who follow ancient numismatic literature from those who pursue British references (a principal focus of mine) or American numismatics? Or am I missing an important point somewhere? I do know that those who have done the work on indexes have taken on massive tasks. I know Harry Manville well and am as amazed at the size of the task he completed as I am at the work Bill Daehn did which I saw on a more immediate basis." Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr. writes: "As Librarian for Numismatics International I am in full agreement that an index of numismatic periodicals is long overdue, and I would include in this project books that contain more than one topic (IAPN's "Numismatics - witness to history" is an example.) I have had to admit defeat on more than one occasion knowing full well that the answer to a query might lie in one of the many magazines sitting on our shelves. One of my constant references is Elvira Clain-Stefanelli's "Numismatic Bibliography." She did heroic work, but it is long outdated. The International Numismatic Commission briefly tried to do something similar to what is presently being considered by listing current numismatic research, but did not follow through. (To give one an idea of the scope of the work before us, their listing of research for the period 1966-1971 ran to three volumes.) The problem is not in the software. The NI author index uses a simple spreadsheet with a four letter code assigned to each author. Our master listing by author is produced by simply giving the command to sort. The problem is the subject index. When we first started to index the library the only useable subject classification system available at that time was ANA's. While I grant you that it is a camel turned out by a committee that was going to build a horse, ANA has been fully supportive of our efforts, and a number of times has granted us permission to add new classification codes to break down country groupings that had become unmanageable. (The Benelux area is one example - middle Europe another.) I submit that the creation of a standardized title /author/topic method of identification does not require a special software program. The problem will be - what do we use for our subject classification system? My preference would be not to re-invent the wheel, but to expand the present ANA system to meet our needs. Once we have agreed on a standardized identification and a standardized subject classification, any number of people can start scanning indexes using any type of software available to them, modify the results according to our agreed method of identification and classification and ship their work off to whoever is acting as the central clearing house." Mrs. Craig N. Smith writes: "Late every Sunday evening, my husband prints and shares his E-Sylum with me. On Monday morning, as I was reading through the August 2001 issue of PC World Magazine, I remembered the E-Sylum request for help on indexing software. In a letter from the magazine, the topic of indexing came up. In briefly touring the website of the American Society of Indexers, it would seem that they may be able to provide some useful information." Some excerpts from the aforementioned letter from L. Pilar Wyman, of Annapolis, Maryland: "I would like to thank Stephen Manes for noting that: "Professional indexing by a human being has become a quaint concept." But professional human indexers, such as myself, are still around. It boggles my mind that hardware and software vendors do not rely on intelligent humans to assist with indexing. (I wonder how much money could be saved on tech support calls if the manuals themselves were indexed well?) "Information architecture" and "Web site design" may sound like new fields. But here's a secret: It's all indexing -- ask any librarian or other information professional. But try telling that to a Web site or database designer. I have been writing indexes for over ten years, for a variety of media. And the American Society of Indexers, (www.asindexing.org) an association of professional indexers, has been around since 1968. There's simply no excuse for any interested company not to provide quality information to its customer base." [The site's "Frequently Asked Questions About Indexing" page (http://www.asindexing.org/indfaq.shtml) is a very useful overview of the topic. -Editor ]

Wayne Homren, Editor

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